HORTICULTURE. 



2ir> 



is common to take out the earth, and lay lime rubbish, 

 which is tiruily beat down, in the bottom. Any fresh 

 Vin and liuht, but rich soil, to the depth of a foot and a half, 



or two leet at most, answers perfectly well. 



In France and Italy the most experienced vignerons 

 are very scrupulous about permitting any gross or strong 

 manures, such a* dungs, to approach the roots of their 

 fine vines for fear of altering or deteriorating the fla- 

 vour of the grapes. Rotted turf or clippings of box 

 trodden under foot in the highway, are the manures 

 there preferred. They who apply dungs, are consider- 

 ed ae more anxious about quantity than quality. In 

 this country, however, we must partly compensate for 

 the want of a bright sky and hot sun, by giving vigour 

 to the plant* by mean* of manure*, even if we should 

 make some sacrifice of flavour. Marshall repeatedly 

 urge* tbe necessity of this, and recommends the digg- 

 ing in of some sheep's droppings or the cleanings of a 

 poultry-home every year. Nicol too is a strenuous ad- 

 vocate for applying the essence of dungs, by watering 

 vine- bonier* with dunghil drawings, which he declares 

 to be the " necur of vegetable life." 



131. In planting vines, it is customary to cut clean 

 at the end tbe strong root from which the fibre* pro- 

 ceed. A hole or trench u then made in tbe border, 

 corresponding to the length of the main root ; <M> 

 trench is formed with a ridge in the middle ; and on this 

 ridge the woody part of the root is hud, the fibre* lo- 

 ping down on each aide. If the main root be three 

 inches under the surface of the border, it is deep enough. 



192. Hitt long ago recommended the training of the 

 principal stem of toe vine in a serpentine form ; lead- 

 ing from it, parallel horizontal snoot*, at the distance 

 of eighteen inches from each other : from these, bear- 

 ing brenche* are produced, which are nailed in, in 

 an upright position, by which means, in hi* opinion, 

 they ere lea* opt to put forth collateral shoots, which 

 rob the fruit. Forsytb has since shewn the advantage 

 to be derived from training the bearing snouts also in 

 the serpentine manner. This, it must be onofeseed, 

 render* the laying in of the summer wood more trou- 

 blesome ; bat, with a little practice, and due attention, 

 all eonrkeion or difficulty of thet kind might be ear- 

 It is evident that a good deal more bearing 

 i dm* be bad dose to a wall, paling, or trellis, 

 tbe ordimvy method. Nicol approve* either 

 of the horizontal or the sigsag manner being adopted 

 lew walk or trellises; but for the grape-boose be 

 prefer* training directly up the roof. It i* well known 

 that in vineyards in the wine countries, the standard 

 vine* ere seldom allowed to rise higher than three or 

 four feet. It i* found, that against ear wall* vine* 

 grow moch stronger and afford larger grape* when not 

 allowed to exred four feet in bright. They thus en. 

 joy the reflected heat from tbe earth a* well a* from the 

 walj. Vines are therefore frequently placed in the low 

 intermediate spaces between peach and nectarine tree*. 



133. Tbe watering of vines in the open border, in 

 very dry weather, is luniiilisaii attttmf ; bat not of. 

 tmer, perhaps, than once a week. After the frost io 

 set, the gardeivengmr i* orouionally swetl, and water 

 Trinklr.1 over th- wl,,,lo plant, u.,, IM-.MIJ found to 



-~~-. A. -nw_ r tfc. terri^ 



the vine may be said to be con- 

 'iv ma state of pruning. This consists hi the regula- 

 of all tbe new snoots, selecting the bearers far nrxt 

 nd disfkloctnc all lateral, straggling, and .up, r- 

 , when the I: the 



in order to give vigour 



promote 



to the bunches. The vine is seldom, by judicious gar- 

 deners, divested of any of its leaves, which seem in 

 this plant almost indispensable to the health and swell- 

 ing of the fruit. 



135. The removal of a srmll ring of the outer and 

 inner bark from the stem or principal branches, has 

 been found to hasten the production and maturity, and 

 increase tbe size and flavour of grnpes ; and this prac- 

 tice is now followed to some extent in the south-west 

 of England. The width of the ring of bark taken out 

 may be from an eighth to a quarter of an inch ; the 

 former being sufficient if the plant be weak, the latter 

 proper if it be luxuriant. Care must be taken not to 

 injure the alburnum. The proper tkne for performing 

 the operation is when flowering is nearly over, and 

 when the berries begin to be formed. In the course of 

 little more than a fortnight, granulations of new bark 

 make their appearance on the upper side of the inci- 

 sion ; these gradually increase, till nature has restored 

 the covering of bark. The ring of newly deposited 

 bark is rough, and becomes protuberant ; so that a gib- 

 bosity remains at the place. The vine-shoot swells and 

 becuuies much larger above than below the incision. ( )n 

 vines thus treated, the berries are said to be earlier, to 

 well much faster, and to become larger and better Ha- 

 vonred, than on neighbouring vines left uncut. In 

 England, the vine usually flowers hi the open air to* 

 wards the endof June or beginning of July. If the 

 circle of berk be removed at either of these periods, the 

 pert will be covered with new bark before the enduing 

 winter, and no injury will be sustained by the vine. 

 In forcing house*, the circle should not be removed till 

 after the vine has flowered, the precise time depending 

 on its state of forwardness. In very old vines it is not 

 mraiiiinfuded that the incision be made on the mnin 

 trunk, but on the middle-aned branches ; and it may 

 either be made on all the principal brandies, or only on 

 every other branch. 



136. In connection with this practice may be men- Barking. 

 tioned another, not altogether new, but which has of late 



been brought into particular notice, in a pamphlet pub. 

 lished in LSI.', by the Right H<>n. Sir John Sinclair, 

 Bart. This consists in entirely removing the parenchy- 

 matous outer bark from the stem and principal branch- 

 es, but carefully preserving the inner concentric bark. 

 The operation is perfumed hi November, or tbe begin- 

 ning of December. At that season it is easily done with 

 the common garden knife, and there is then little dan- 

 ger of injuring the liber. The removing of old .m<l 

 rugged berk from vines has long been practised, with 

 the view of presetting the lodging of imects, pa 

 larly the red spider ; but beside* being insa 

 emotion from these, the decorticated vine* 

 make stronger shoota, and the quantity, nu 

 flavour of the grape* to be thereby inipr. 

 ha* been followed for several years by Mr King, a fruit- 

 gavdener at Teti ' mil as hi* pro- 



fit mut di ; intity of grap< .mil 



the price upon their qin; nt that if the 



practice Jid not prove useful, it would not be continu. 

 ed by him. 



Vines seldom produce ^-earing shoots from wood 

 that is more than one year ol<l, -ml- - thr old wood be 

 healthy and well cut back. Th. -rc<t o'.j.ct therefore 

 i% to have abundance nt' ry 



p*rt of the wall or trelli*. The be. i'n/ honN f"r the 

 following year are commonly left v yes each ; 



the undermost does not bear, and consequently only 

 three are expected to be productive ; but each of these 



particu- 

 ed of ex- 

 re KI 



dity 



plan 



